Water forecast mixed following dry year

The San Diego County Water Authority San Vicente dam raise project reached the height of 220 feet, the reinforcing height of the original structure. The final 117 feet of height are now on their way to being completed. Forms go up on the "wet" side of the dam for the final push to raise the height to 337 feet tall. This project is the tallest dam raise in the United States and will make the dam the tallest of its type in the world.
— John Gibbins

The San Diego County Water Authority San Vicente dam raise project reached the height of 220 feet, the reinforcing height of the original structure. The final 117 feet of height are now on their way to being completed. Forms go up on the "wet" side of the dam for the final push to raise the height to 337 feet tall. This project is the tallest dam raise in the United States and will make the dam the tallest of its type in the world.
— John Gibbins

The new “water year” for California started Monday with officials hoping 2012-13 provides more wetness than the past 12 months. But the forecast is mixed, and the state Department of Water Resources said precipitation patterns over the rainy season remain “anyone’s guess.”

That lines up with recent statements by the National Weather Service, which said to expect “near normal” weather in coming months as a weak El Niño weather phenomenon influences Southern California.

The 2011-12 water cycle was the first officially dry year since the 2007-2009 drought, according to the state water department. There’s still water in reservoirs to meet current demand, but another dry winter could thrust California back into an emergency.

“We are working toward more reliable water deliveries … but household and backyard conservation will always be a way of life in California,” California water director Mark Cowin said in a statement.

Long-term climate models suggest that precipitation will become less predictable in California, with more of it falling as rain instead of snow. That already has boosted interest in expanding reservoir capacity to capture rain, which runs off more rapidly than mountain snows that melt slowly through spring and early summer.

“It is becoming clearer every day that we need to increase the flexibility and adaptability of our statewide storage and delivery systems,” Cowin said.

Locally, water officials are exploring other options, such as purchasing water from a proposed desalination plant in Carlsbad. The San Diego County Water Authority plans two public meetings to hear comments about the proposed water contract. The first is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters, 4677 Overland Ave., Kearny Mesa. The second is at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Faraday Center, 1635 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad.